Genesis 17
New Living Translation
Abram Is Named Abraham
17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. 2 I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”
3 At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, 4 “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! 5 What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham,[a] for you will be the father of many nations. 6 I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!
7 “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants[b] after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.”
The Mark of the Covenant
9 Then God said to Abraham, “Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility. 10 This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised. 11 You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. This applies not only to members of your family but also to the servants born in your household and the foreign-born servants whom you have purchased. 13 All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant. 14 Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant.”
Sarai Is Named Sarah
15 Then God said to Abraham, “Regarding Sarai, your wife—her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on her name will be Sarah.[c] 16 And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants.”
17 Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” he thought. “And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?” 18 So Abraham said to God, “May Ishmael live under your special blessing!”
19 But God replied, “No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac,[d] and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant. 20 As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year.” 22 When God had finished speaking, he left Abraham.
23 On that very day Abraham took his son, Ishmael, and every male in his household, including those born there and those he had bought. Then he circumcised them, cutting off their foreskins, just as God had told him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25 and Ishmael, his son, was thirteen. 26 Both Abraham and his son, Ishmael, were circumcised on that same day, 27 along with all the other men and boys of the household, whether they were born there or bought as servants. All were circumcised with him.
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- 17:5 Abram means “exalted father”; Abraham sounds like a Hebrew term that means “father of many.”
- 17:7 Hebrew seed; also in 17:7b, 8, 9, 10, 19.
- 17:15 Sarai and Sarah both mean “princess”; the change in spelling may reflect the difference in dialect between Ur and Canaan.
- 17:19 Isaac means “he laughs.”
Genesis 17
Lexham English Bible
Abram and Circumcision, the Sign of the Covenant
17 When[a] Abram was ninety-nine years old Yahweh appeared to Abram. And he said to him, “I am El-Shaddai;[b] walk before me and be blameless 2 so that[c] I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you exceedingly.”[d] 3 Then Abram fell upon his face and God spoke with him, saying, 4 “As for me, behold, my covenant shall be with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 Your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 And I will make you exceedingly[e] fruitful. I will make you a nation, and kings shall go out from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you, and between your offspring after you, throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant to be as God for you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land in which you are living as an alien,[f] all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting property. And I will be to them as God.”
9 And God said to Abraham, “Now as for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you, throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant which you shall keep, between me and you, and also with[g] your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 And at eight days of age[h] you shall yourselves circumcise every male belonging to your generations and the servant born in your house and the one bought from any foreigner[i] who is not from your offspring. 13 You must certainly circumcise[j] the servant born in your house and the one bought from any foreigner.[k] And my covenant shall be with your flesh as an everlasting covenant. 14 And as for any uncircumcised male who has not circumcised the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his[l] people. He has broken my covenant. 15 And God said to Abraham, “as for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, for Sarah shall be her name. 16 And I will bless her; moreover, I give to you from her a son. And I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations.[m] Kings of peoples shall come[n] from her.” 17 And Abraham fell upon his face and laughed. And he said in his heart, “Can a child be born to a man a hundred years old,[o] or can Sarah bear a child at ninety?”[p] 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 And God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear a son for you, and you shall call his name Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant to his offspring after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I will bless him and I will make him fruitful, and I will multiply him exceedingly.[q] He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this appointed time next year.” 22 When[r] he finished speaking with him, God went up from Abraham. 23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son and all who were born of his house, and all those acquired by his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on the same day that God spoke with him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin. 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the same day. 27 And all the men of his house, those born in the house, and those acquired by money from a foreigner,[s] were circumcised with him.
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- Genesis 17:1 Literally “And it happened that”
- Genesis 17:1 Often translated, “God Almighty”
- Genesis 17:2 Or “and”
- Genesis 17:2 Literally “with very very”
- Genesis 17:6 Literally “with very very”
- Genesis 17:8 Literally “a land of your sojournings”
- Genesis 17:10 Or “between”
- Genesis 17:12 Literally “a son of eight days”
- Genesis 17:12 Literally “those born of house and acquisition of money from every son of a foreigner”
- Genesis 17:13 Literally “circumcising you will circumcise”
- Genesis 17:13 Literally “those born of house and acquisition of money from every son of a foreigner”
- Genesis 17:14 Literally “her”; the reference is still to a male; the pronoun is feminine because “person” (nephesh) is grammatically feminine
- Genesis 17:16 Literally “she shall become to nations”
- Genesis 17:16 Or “be”
- Genesis 17:17 Literally “to a man one hundred years old can he be born?”
- Genesis 17:17 Literally “can ninety-year-old Sarah bear a child?”
- Genesis 17:20 Literally “with very very”
- Genesis 17:22 Or “And”
- Genesis 17:27 Literally “born of house and acquisition of money from the son of a foreigner”
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